Improved brick-machine



dimitri .drck

i tant- @zum @ffice Letters Patent No. 85,142, dated December 22. 1868; anteilrlfted Deomnbe'r 1l, 1868.

IMPROV'ED BRI(2K-MillaCHINE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Pat-.ent and making part bf the'same.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that EDWIN SPRAGUE, of the city and county of Allegheny, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Brick- Machines; and I do hereby declare that. the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in providing the brick-machine with a mould-rack, feeding-device, a cuto, delivering-arm, and mould-ways, combined with a hopper for mixing the brick-clay and filling the moulds, the whole being constructed, arranged, and operating as hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I Will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of myv specification- 'Figure l, sheet A', is a perspective view of "nyiun provement in brick-machines. v

Figure 2, sheet A, is a side elevation of the hopper of the machine, and represents a portion of the side of the hopper broken out for the plupose of representing the arrangement of the mixing-arms, used for filling the moulds with clay, and the relation of said fillingarms to the openings. in the bottom of the hopper, through which theV mixed clay passes into the moulds. Figure 3, sheet B, is a vertical section of my improvement in brick-machines, representing 'the mixingarms removed from the hopper.

Figure 4 is a top view, with that part of the machine above the line y of liig. 3 removed.

- -Figure 5 is a side view of the piece used for drawing the empty moulds into the machine for filling.

Figure 6 is a top View of the same.

Figure 7 is au end view of the cut-off.

Figure S is a longitudinal section of the same.

Figure 9 is a top view of the same.

In the drawings- A represents the base of the machine.

'Brepresents the bottom of the hopper C.

p rEhe bottom plate, B, is held in position over the plate A, by means offour columns, D, to which are secured mould-racks, which consist of the plate g and grooved corner-posts, marked 2, and the mould-ways marked h'.

The hopper C is secured firmly to the bottom-plate' B,which is provided with two openings, It, for the mixed clay to pass through into the brick-moulds m.

The shaft c is held in the desired position by the step J and the cross-bar f, on `the upper end oi` the hopper G.

The shaft e is provided with a number of arms, u, for mixing the clay, and arms fw for forcing the clay down into the brick-moulds m.

The hopper C is also provided with a number of fixed arms, i, and two broad inclined arms, u, which are so placed the cut-oil' S, which m'oves in slides'secured to the bottom plate B.

On the upper side-of the cut-oil' S are 'two ribs, 3, which are tted to grooves made in the under side 'of the bottom plate B.

The cut-oft` plate S is made of sheet cast-steehfand is provided with two openings, 4, for the clay to pass through into the moulds'm, and an opening, 5, through which the shaft c passes.

The openings 4, in the cut-oli" S, are arranged, with relation to the openings E, in the bottom 'of the plate B of th'ehopper, so thatonly one lof the openings, 4, will come opposite the openings R.

On the under side ofthe cut-of S .are two pins, 11, against which the cam y, on shaft e, presses, and, thereby moves the eut-oft` S back and forward, for the .purpose of alternately opening and closing the openings R, in the bottom plate B, and for cutting'oi-f' the clay even with the top of the brick-moulds m.

The device for feeding or drawing the empty moulds and their bottom-boards into the desired position under the hopper, for being filled with' clay, consists of the piece marked l, .which is held up against the under side of the part y of the mould-rack, by means of the bolts (i, placed in the openings, 8, of the piece l, the centre of 'which is provided withan opening, 9, for the shaft e to pass through.

On the under side of the piece L are two projecting pins, against which the cani` f presses alternately', thereby imparting to the piece l a reciprocating motion.

h and h represent the mould-ways.

The dotted lines, 12, in fig. 3, sheet B, represent thecontour of a proposed elevation in the bottom plate B, for the purpose of avoiding the drag of the clay on the bottom of the hopper, and also for Jriwilitating the iilling ofthe moulds with clay,

The material used for constructing my improved brick-machine is cast-iron, wrought-iron, and steel, but I leave the use ofthe kind of materialior the construction of the machine to the good judgment ofthe skilled mechanic.

As the construction and arrangement ofthe several parts of myv improvement, and the relation they bear to each other, will bel readily seenV and understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, I will therefore, without further description of its construction,`

proceed to describe its operation, which is as follows: The brick-moulds are placed in the mould-rack, as indicated in fig. 1slieet A, and may be, if desired,

placed one on the top of the other, to :my desired height, cere being teken to pla-ee :i bottoni-hoard, o, under each mould.

The clay being marde properly damp, it is thrown into the hopper C. Motion is then imparted to the 'shaft e, through the medium of the crunk 1.', or other suitable gearing. 4'.lhe revolving ofthe shaft l: will enlise the cum j" to press against the projecting pins 10, of' the piece Z, :und cause it to move buck amd forward ai distance little more thalnthe` width of almould, :md et euch movement ofthe piece l, the part of it marked x will press :Lge-inst the side of ai mould, m, mld force it and its bottom-hoard o along ou the mould-way It', until the mould :md its bottom-hemd come. directly under the openings lt, et wlxich point the mould will remain until the filling-arms uf have forced down sutiicient mixed clay to lill the mould. The cum y will, by this time, come in contact with one ofthe projecting pins, 11, on the under side of the cut-oli' S, und move it so as to cut the clay off even with the top e( ge of the mould, and also close one of the openings R, es Shown in iig. 3 oi' sheet B. By this time the point ofthe delivering-u'rm P will he've come in contact with the end ofthe mould, as imlieuted in iig. 4ot' sheet B, and will.

force it :dong on the mould-wary li. The part .'v, of the piece l, will then force in :mother mould to be filled, and thus the machine will continue to operate, feeding in empt)- moulds, lilling them with clay, cutting off the clay even with thetop of the moulds, and delivering them along on the mould-wey,` ready to he borne olf, und nmnipulztted in the usual. nntrmer.

Having thus described the mrt-ure, construction, :md 

